Esquirrou

Esquirrou is a hard French cheese made from sheep's milk, produced in Pyrénées-Atlantiques and in the cities of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It is a smaller version of Ossau-Iraty cheese. The texture of Esquirrou is slightly elastic, while the flavors are nutty, fruity, herbaceous if the produce is from winter, while the summer versions reveal aromas of flowers and grass.

The name of the cheese means bell, referring to the sheep's accessories. It is produced at Mauleon Fromagerie by Michel Touyarou. Esquirrou won the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest held at Madison, Wisconsin, where it had bested 3,402 other cheeses.